Red Carpet Interviews...Some DOs and DON'Ts

Okay, Streamys time is upon us and the spotlight is on web series, actors, and all of the talented people behind the scenes.  It is an exciting time and I know that getting publicity for your show is an integral part of finding new viewers or connecting with your current fans.  So, I hope all of you who wake up to a Streamy nomination get ready for a thrilling time in your career, but prepare yourself for the round of media that is to follow.  Do yourself and your show a favor, mentally prepare for the red carpet. Here are a couple of things I have noticed recently on the red carpet, a few bad habits, and some things to point out.  At The Web Files, we want to showcase you and your show in the best light possible:

1.  Talk to the reporter.  Don't talk into the camera.  It is a conversation between two people.  Trust that the cameraman is focusing in on you and he will get the shot.  If you look directly into the camera while being interviewed, it makes you look a bit crazy because you are ignoring the person asking you the questions. (Now, you can casually glance at the camera to include the audience, but don't get stuck in that lens.)

2.  Don't EVER, EVER, EVER, hijack someone else's interview.  I had this happen on Monday night at a web series premiere and it made the actor look like a big, old jackass. I was interviewing the creator of the show....it's his big night, his big moment, and his chance to shine.  The actor comes stumbling into the shot, puts his arm around the creator, and expects me to start interviewing him.  Sorry, nope, no way.  The creator hired YOU, he wrote a part for YOU, he directed YOU.  Without him, you wouldn't be on this red carpet.  Show respect.  Let everyone have their moment in the spotlight.  Trust me, you will have your turn, but if you jump into my shot....forget about it.

3.  Finally, sound bites.  During a sit down interview with The Web Files, I want more in depth answers.  On the red carpet, I want sound bites.  A reporter from any show, whether it is a marquee entertainment show like ET, Access Hollywood, or E!, or a little one like The Web Files, is looking for the funny, off the cuff, short quips.  If I asked you to tell me about your show, do it in less than 20 words.  A 2 minute explanation usually makes your clip unusable because red carpet footage is edited in a faster paced rhythm.  If you want to watch successful interviews in 30 seconds or less, take a look at the clips from the Whatever Works premiere from June 2009 for Focus Hollywood:  See Larry David, Peter Fonda, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, and John Lithgow all giving great little moments in an extremely short period of time.  They are true masters at dealing with red carpet reporters when we only were allowed to ask them one question each that night.

I hope that some of these tips are useful to you and your cast.  I am happy to offer up a few more helpful hints as we get closer to April 11th, 2010, so feel free to fire away with questions or suggestions on this topic in the section below (Anonymous posts are okay).  I can address them in another post soon.   See you at the Streamys red carpet!

PS  All of the photos posted are examples of GOOD red carpet interviews, so don't start any gossip that I think you stink on the red carpet.  xo kb

2009 in Review: May

May was another month I had to whittle down the photos because my month was jam-packed, but this time my work was based in LA. It was nice not to have to travel for once which is a rarity in my world.

I started working for a media outlet, Focus Hollywood, doing red carpet interviews. Unfortunately, the outlet was a victim of this lousy economy, but my interviews are still up. And yes, I am still looking for a media outlet for 2010. I miss doing my regular gigs. This event was A Time for Heroes at Universal Studios' Backlot.

One of my standing jobs with LawInfo. I have worked with these amazing people since 2008 and it is always a pleasure to head to San Diego to work with them. Notice my footwear....

The episode that started it all for The Web Files with Tay Zonday. We filmed at one of my favorite cupcake places in LA called Big Sugar. If you haven't seen Episode 1 in awhile, check it out here .

I am sure I was the envy of every guy out there when I covered the MAXIM Hot 100 party. It was one of the most challenging red carpets I have ever covered because it was filled with reality "stars" and C-listers. Oh, the gossip from this night! If you want to know the less than glamorous part of the red carpet, I will happily give you the scoop in exchange for a Coffee Bean tea latte.

The super fun GeekOut event with my EP, Sandra Payne. This was the event where we met Tay Zonday and the cast from The Crew where they agreed to be interviewed. Thank goodness our enthusiasm didn't scare them too much.
Come back tomorrow where June brings MJ coverage, more red carpet, and a day at the wax museum.

TV Academy's Father's Day Salute to TV Dads

Hey Everyone,

I am back! It was an insane week filled with red carpets, press junkets, and entertainment panels. On Thursday, I hit the red carpet for the Television Academy of Arts and Science's Father's Day Salute to TV Dads. Yes, that is a mouthful, and my trusty sidekick and cameraman, Trent, will tell you I had trouble with that in the opening segment. I think we did 12-15 takes while I stumbled through that title. I have to say that it was a couch potato's dream to be interviewing timeless TV dads that I grew up with....from Dick Van Dyke to Dick Van Patten, Stephen Collins to Jon Cryer. What a night!

What a night and what to wear? Well, I dug out a dress that I am officially going to have to retire to the dusty corner of my closet. I have worn it on two red carpets, the Beverly Hills Chihuahua premiere and the TV Dads celebration....oh, the horror! I broke the rule of wearing something twice on camera and I had the nerve to have the same hairstyle each time. So, I promise, this will be the last time you see it......I think. The dress is an empire waisted design by one of the best petite clothing designers out there, Laundry by Shelli Segal. It has a white and blue pattern throughout with cap sleeves and it has a hem hitting just above the knee which eliminates the "House" red carpet dress issue.

My shoes are a find from Aldo and people either love or hate these shoes. I love them with their yellow tie-dye effect by the pointy toe that dissipates to completely white in the back. Since I always need my height, this is another high heel at 4". (And by the way, I always wear flip flops to and from the event. 4" heels are almost impossible to walk in for more than an hour.) The circular yellow drop earrings were an impulse purchase as well from Aldo. The fantastic salesman at the store told me I MUST have them to accessorize with. I had "Sucker" written all over me that day, his commission increased, and now I have a fun pair of yellow earrings in my jewelry wardrobe. Finally, the blue coral necklace was a souvenir from my trip to central Mexico a few years ago. If you haven't been to San Miguel de Allende, add it to your list of places to see.

Now, let's get to the good stuff, the interviews on the red carpet. What a dream! My friends and I spent years watching Stephen Collins AKA the HOT Reverend Camden from "7th Heaven". He kindly listened to my story about "7th Heaven" character cupcakes that were made for the series finale party. I think I convinced him I was somewhat normal and not a crazy fan with a microphone. The classiest man on the red carpet was Patrick Duffy. The gentleman took time to shake everyone's hand, get their names and introduce himself. The reporters always get introduced, but it is rare that a cameraman is ever considered. Patrick said "hello" and "goodbye" this way. All celebs should take note, it is just classy. I know I should have been more geeked out about Dick Van Dyke especially since I love "Mary Poppins" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", but it is Marion Ross AKA Mrs. Cunningham from "Happy Days" that left me speechless. I asked her what it was like to be one of TV's most endearing moms. She said it was fantastic and that "she raised us all". Yes, indeed, Mrs. C, you did.

All of the footage can be found here: Focus Hollywood Thanks for your continued feedback. Next up, the choreography panel for So You Think You Can Dance, High School Musical, and the 81st Academy Awards. I didn't wear anything special, so I will just give you the rundown on the incredible night!

Reporting Live from Los Angeles,

kb

Surveillance Red Carpet Premiere and Press Junket

Hey Everyone,

I'm back and it's a busy week, starting with the red carpet premiere and press junket for Jennifer Lynch's new movie, "Surveillance", starring Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond. It was my first press junket which involves one-on-one interviews with the stars and director. I was pretty nervous, so I wanted to keep my outfit simple and classic. Who do you turn to for the ultimate timeless dress? Why, Diane von Furstenberg, of course. I don't care who you are or what your figure looks like: tall, short, curvy, skinny, or petite. Every girl needs to own one DVF wrap dress in their wardrobe. Now, this is a pricey venture, so save up (And I mean, save up! Don't charge it on your credit card.) and treat yourself to the most comfortable, form-fitting dress out there. The one I chose out of my closet was a chic, black silk dress. I love it because it is long sleeved, I always seem to be cold in any temperature and it's black, so hello, slimming color! The one thing you have to be careful about in a DVF wrap dress is the cleavage. If you don't want to show much, do yourself a favor, and wear a tank top underneath. Since I was doing one on one interviews, I figured my NY & Company black tank would be appropriate in this situation. If you are looking for the va-va-va-voom, put on your prettiest Victoria's Secret push-up bra and enjoy your evening.

I kept my accessories simple with an Ann Taylor red-beaded necklace that came from wardrobe from another gig that they kindly gifted to me. Jennifer Lynch even commented on my necklace while I was in the press line. Woo hoo! My red coral ring was a find from a business trip to Hawaii from one of the local jewelry stands in Honolulu. My red shoes are one of my favorites from my never-ending shoe closet. Even with 4" heels, they are comfortable and affordable, all thanks to Nine West.

As for the press junket and red carpet interviews, Jennifer Lynch was, by far, my favorite. Her story as a young director with "Boxing Helena" and her journey to "Surveillance" is pretty fascinating. Her enthusiasm and passion is contagious, so I hope her next few projects are true successes for her, she deserves it. For theatre geeks like me, look for Bill Pullman to head to Broadway next fall in Mamet's "Oleanna". I am making an early Tony prediction for Pullman right here and now in June. Oh, and if you are in LA, it is playing at the Taper through July 12, 2009.

For all of the red carpet footage, check out Focus Hollywood. I have lots of outfits coming your way this week, so stay tuned for more from the Red Carpet Closet.

Reporting Live from Los Angeles,

kb

PS Some of you may think you have seen this dress before.....why, yes you have: Toyota Live

And thanks to the boys from Ohio, you can now become a fan of the show here: Facebook

Dance Channel TV and Woody Allen's Whatever Works

Good Afternoon!
This is a two for one special on this day. I had two shoots pretty close together in time, so one outfit would have to suffice. I knew that I could go for a more casual dress so, I chose my favorite Mossimo eggplant-colored dress and changed it up in a variety of ways for two different looks. The dress is a super-comfy cotton dress with pockets in front and a rounded neckline with capped sleeves. I started out by wearing the dress with the fabric sash it comes with and my favorite Target gold costume jewelry. Again, my shoes were my most expensive thing on my body...fantastic Carlos Santana black and eggplant strappy sandals with green and yellow beaded accents. I know this sounds like a rainbow puked all over my shoes, but I promise they are hot with 4" heels. And yes, Carlos makes some good music, and some darn good stilettos.

My first shoot of the day was the first edition of the "Can't Miss List" for Dance Channel TV. We will be shooting the gossip and dance news every two weeks and it is a fantastic project that I look forward to each and every time. You can check out the first episode here: Can't Miss List

I then had to dash from the Valley and over the hill to the Pacific Design Center for the premiere of Woody Allen's "Whatever Works" for Focus Hollywood. I was excited to cover this premiere because of the cast: Larry David, Ed Begley Jr., Evan Rachel Wood, and Patricia Clarkson. I knew I had to dress the outfit up a bit for the red carpet, so I grabbed my gold Express belt that I wore from the Heroes Among Us red carpet. I LOVE this belt, it's gold, sparkly, and stretchy. That's right, stretchy....you can make it an empire waist belt or wear it low slung over your hips. It is GENIUS and it is still on sale at Express. Check it out here: Express Gold Belt I kept my Carlos Santana shoes and removed the gold necklace so it wouldn't clutter the effect of the belt. Simple......two outfits in one! Oh, and check out the footage here: Whatever Works

Thanks for all of your feedback. I want to show that it is easy and affordable to dress for the red carpet or everyday life. Keep your comments coming and follow me on Kristyn Burtt!

Reporting Live from Los Angeles!
kb

USA/Vanity Fair Magazine's Character Project

Hey Everyone!

      We are going super simple with today's outfit.  It is another dress from the archives, but this one has served its purpose over and over again.  I wore it to cover USA Networks and Vanity Fair Magazine's Character Project launch on May 14, 2009 which featured the works of several photographers honoring the diversity of the US.  A more sedate and classy affair called for something a little more proper.....meaning a lower hemline.  

     This dress has officially been retired.  In fact, I am not sure I can even wear it anymore in my personal life.....it has hit the red carpet, a wedding, on-camera (twice!)-once for Focus Hollywood and another time for an AOL/Purina TV show I hosted, and a book launch party for Hollywood exec, Sam Haskell.  Time to sell it on Ebay?  Regardless, the dress came from an amazing store in Hollywood called DNA.  They sell fabulous dresses for great prices and they even offer coupons via email for 20% off from time to time.  I believe they also have a location in Venice for you beach-dwellers.  The shoes?  A good, old standby:  Nine West.  They are simple, versatile, and affordable.  The accessories?  An H & M bracelet and set of gold earrings.

     The night itself was low-key and offered a variety of USA Networks stars like Corbin Bernsen, Hector Elizondo, Mary McCormack, and Tiffani Thiessen (Yay, 90210!).  In addition, an Oscar winner stopped on by, Marisa Tomei, as did Chris "Ludacris" Bridges who was the host of the evening.  You can see all of the footage here:   http://tiny.cc/lMJwa 

     Just a few more days of archives and then we are headed for original material again.  I have a red carpet event on Friday for the Inspiration Awards.  What will I wear?  Find out later this week on the Red Carpet Closet!

Reporting Live from Los Angeles,

KB

PS  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter!  Just look for "KristynBurtt".

The Wayans Brothers' Dance Flick Premiere

Good Morning, Fashionistas!

Since I have thrown a lot of these photos up on Facebook and Twitter, here are a couple of my outfits that hit the red carpet in the past few months. Let's go back to a May 20, 2009 and the recycling of wardrobe from seasons long gone by. I had only an hour to get ready for this premiere since it was a last minute call to cover it.

I took my royal blue Guess shirt that I bought for a trip to Mexico in 2007 and paired it with an Ann Taylor Loft sequined skirt from last summer. They work perfectly together, but I needed a good heel for the skirt. I found my sparkly silver Guess stilettos to accompany the ensemble. The shoes were bought for New Year's Eve 2006/2007 and I doubt this will be the last time you see them! While they are not the shoe to go walking all over LA in because of their 4" heel, they are perfect for the red carpet. In fact, I even wore them to the 2007 Academy Awards. Now, the all important accessories: the earrings were a find from Target or "Tar-jeeeh", my favorite store for costume jewelry, and the ring (which is hard to see in this photo) was designed by Alexander Kalifano, a vendor from my days as a host at ShopNBC. If you are ever in Las Vegas, his stores are all over the Paris and Bally's properties.

The red carpet was fantastic and fun. The night included interviews with Keenan Ivory Wayans, Damien Dante Wayans, and Heather McDonald who told me all of the Wayans Brothers smelled good. And you know what? She was right! I was the recipient of many hugs that night from the Wayans Brothers after mentioning Heather's observation. Also, the cast from the remake of Fame joined the gang on the red carpet. The movie debuts on September 25, 2009 and I cannot wait to see it. The trailer is amazing and I already put the word in to the MGM publicity department that I have to be there to cover the premiere. In the meantime, feel free to check out the footage here on Focus Hollywood's website: http://tiny.cc/OBy4V

Reporting live from Los Angeles,

KB

PS Don't forget to follow all of my adventures in 140 characters or less: www.twitter.com/KristynBurtt

Heroes Among Us, Universal Studios

Hey Everyone!

      Since many of you have enjoyed my posts on my red carpet dresses on Facebook and Twitter, I decided that my closet deserved a page of its own.  Also, I think my male friends would rather pass on looking at dresses, shoes, and accessories, so this will spare them any Sex and the City pain.  

    So, here is my first post from last night's red carpet.  I was covering the Heroes Among Us show for Focus Hollywood..  Honorees included Kathy Ireland and Nancy Davis while celebrities from Tatyana Ali, Erik Estrada, and the delicious Greg Ellis made appearances.  

    My dress is from a fantastic store at the Sherman Oaks Galleria:  Indulge.  The dress designer is Style Biz.  The shoes were the most expensive thing on me last night, my favorite Stuart Weitzman shoes recycled from my DGA Awards outfit in 2007.  The gold belt was a recent purchase from Express and my bracelets were from H & M.  So, an affordable night on the red carpet.  The dress now goes back into the closet.  And that is your Red Carpet Closet report for today. 

Reporting Live from Los Angeles, 

Kristyn

PS Follow me on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/KristynBurtt

PPS  You can see all of the footage here:  _ http://tiny.cc/bJPaf